Posthumous Lindner Campaign Contribution Goes Missing

CityBeat last week reported an
August 2012 campaign contribution by the late billionaire Carl Lindner,
who had died 10 months earlier. On Oct. 31, the Ohio secretary of
state’s campaign finance database listed the $5,000 donation to the
Republican Senate Campaign Committee, dated Aug. 24, 2012. Lindner, a
prominent local businessman who contributed heavily to Republican causes
during his life, died Oct. 17, 2011 at the age of 92.

The story received criticism from those who assumed CityBeat misattributed a donation from Lindner’s son.

But CityBeat’s
printed copy of the database shows a contribution from the home address
of Carl H. Lindner Jr., which is different than the home address of his
son, Carl H. Lindner III.

Two days after the story ran, the
contribution from the elder Lindner had disappeared from the secretary
of state’s website. The digital record now reflects a $5,000 donation
made by Carl Lindner III listed at his own address.

CityBeat contacted the secretary
of state’s office for three days in hopes of understanding why the entry
was changed. As of our Nov. 6 print deadline, we haven’t heard back.

CityBeat also contacted the late
Mr. Lindner’s company under which the donation was listed (Great
American Financial) and did not hear back by deadline.

The Ohio Republican Party also criticized CityBeat
via Twitter for not having checked in with the party for the original
story, but also didn’t return calls for comment after the contribution
disappeared.